Mountain biking is a relatively young sport that consists of riding specially adapted bicycles off-road and often over rough terrain. It has become a very popular sport, for both men and women, in South Africa and elsewhere. Here is an overview of what the sport is about and where to start.

The pioneers and their “klunkers”

Mountain biking started in the late 60s to mid 1970s, in the state of California, when a few biking “freaks” grew tired of battling the traffic on rides in the city and decided to move their sport to the countryside. Here they raced along fire roads and rocky, mountain trails and soon found that their bikes were no match for the rough conditions.

Fortunately the “freaks”, Gary Fisher, a bicycle racer and his friend Charles Kelly, later met up with Joe Breeze and his fat-tyred “klunker” bike, the proto type mountain bike. They and other riders soon started modifying these bikes to improve performance and with the help of the abovementioned men and others the first custom-made mountain bikes were “born”.

The sport became so popular that it was admitted as an event to the Olympic Games in 1996.

Where to start?

If you are new to the sport, the best place to start is by talking to seasoned riders or joining a riding club where professionals will teach you the basics and also help you choose the right bike (also read the article: What to consider when buying a mountain bike). However, before you buy a bike decide what category of riding you are most interested in. Most mountain bikes are designed either for cross country (XC), all-mountain (AM), freeride or downhill (DH) racing.

Here is a brief description of the main categories:

  1. Cross-country (XC) riding usually entails riding point-to-point or in a loop and includes climbs and descents on a variety of terrains
  2. All-mountain (AM) where bikers take to the mountains to try their luck
  3. Free ride entails a mixed bag of skills as just about anything goes! It can contain downhill racing, jumps as well as steep uphill rides. “Slopestyle” type riding combines free ride skills and BMX style manoeuvres and stunts
  4. Downhill (DH) means what it says: riding down a very steep hill or mountain. Riders usually travel to the point of descent by car or ski-lift (many of the trails are located at ski resorts) and proceed from there. Downhill courses inevitably include large jumps (12m) and drops (3+m) and is extremely taxing and dangerous. Riders need to be physically as well as mentally fit and strong
  5. Four-cross/Dual slalom (4X) is performed either on separate tracks or on a short slalom track with dirt jumps, berms and gaps
  6. Trials riding requires hopping and jumping over obstacles without touching a foot to the ground. Balance is of the essence here
  7. Dirt jumping (DJ) describes rides over shaped mounts of dirt or soil with the idea of becoming airborne and landing on a specific landing area
  8. Urban/street riding is the same as urban or free style BMX where tricks are performed by riding on and over man-made objects
  9. Mountain bike trail riding is often referred to as “hike on a bike” and is a purely recreational biking pass-time on off-road, specially laid out, hiking trails through forests or other scenic areas. There are many such scenic trails in South Africa.

Essential accessories

Besides buying a bike, you will need a number of very important accessories. It is recommended that you find a reputable bike shop and purchase the following.

    • Mountain bike helmet: your most important accessory
    • Mountain bike gloves for comfort and safety
    • Mountain bike shorts to pad your rear end
    • Mountain bike socks and shoes to help you pedal more efficiently
    • Eye protection to keep dust, wind and those pesky insects at bay
    • Water bottle or other hydration system to prevent dehydration
    • Trail repair kit when you get stuck with a flat tyre or worse.

All that’s left is to get out there and enjoy yourself!

 

Sources
History of mountain biking. Retrieved from: http://www.london2012.com/cycling-mountain-bike/about
Mountain biking. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountainbiking
Schofield, R.2009. Beginners guide to mountain biking, Part 1. retrieved from: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/beginners-guide-to-mountain-biking-part-1-23675
Sparks, J. 2007. The birth of the mountain bike. Retrieved from: http://suite101.com/article/the-birth-of-the-mountain-bike-a26381